You may notice that with this posting, I have changed the name from "iPhone Perspectives" to "iGadget Perspectives." The reason is simple: Apple's extension of the iPod to the iPhone to the iPad demonstrates the company is placing increased emphasis on edge devices in their product portfolio. The indication is Apple will be extending this portfolio even further in the future and will be expanding horizontally to fill in perceived gaps among their various existing products. As a result, the blog's name seemed somewhat limiting.
With the emphasis placed firmly on anything "i" from Apple, I believe the analysis of this market space will be better served. This allows the writer to delve into other aspects of the Apple ecosystem as those aspects impact the edge device.
So, on with the show.
p.s.: This was typed out on an iPad at about the same speed it would have been typed on a full-sized laptop or desktop computer keyboard. But, more about that later. wwc
Monday, April 12, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
iPad Prelaunch Thoughts
It has a very limited suite of applications. Just about everything you can do on it, you can do on today's smartphones or computers. The operating system is closed and Apple will only allow what it wants to be installed on the device. It doesn't have a physical keyboard. It's too expensive for what you get--there are many alternatives for less money.
Talking about the iPad? No, these are the statements made about the iPhone prior to its launch. Indeed, many analysts believed Apple was setting itself up for failure by declaring that the company would capture 1% of the smartphone market within 18 months. As they say, the rest is history.
The lesson to be learned from this is to never underestimate Apple. How popular will the iPad be? No one knows--not even Apple. Keep in mind, the iPhone's least used application is the phone. The iPhone ushered into the market the first truly portable omni-communications device. I will predict the iPad will accomplish no less.
Sure, it may take two or three generations of the machine. But remember, in Internet time you are only talkining 24-36 months. Remember, the iPod did not exist eight years ago and the iPhone did not exist three years ago. Within that time frame, Apple will have probably doubled the storage capacity, doubled the processing speed, added significantly to the battery life, added a camera (front-facing for video chats), slightly increased the screen size, improved the screen resolution, all without making it any heavier. You will get all this at the same or less cost. Add to this reality, virtually every major computer maker (and many a wireless phone maker) will have a similar competing knockoff. The iPad is going to fail--hardly.
With all that said, the true innovation and success of the iPad will rest with those who made the iPhone successful--the gazillions of iPad application developers. This hearty group will find ways to use the iPad that even Steve Jobs did not imagine. They will be the device of choice in schools because they are small and can carry a student's books much easier than a backpack. They will be data collection devices for students, scientists, and engineers. They will be the real estate agent's most prized possession allowing instant access to neighborhood demographics, comparison house prices, and virtual house walk-throughs. They will be the nurse and doctor's link to patient records and information input. They will be the insurance agent's instrument of choice for both sales and claims input. They will become a "world-computer," because of the relatively small size, low energy demands, long battery life, and storage capacity. Oh, and they will be a great personal entertainment device.
This success is not dependent on Apple. It is dependent on the application developers who will see all the possibilities of the device. You see, that is what most people missed about the iPhone--it is the applications that will sell the device.
Talking about the iPad? No, these are the statements made about the iPhone prior to its launch. Indeed, many analysts believed Apple was setting itself up for failure by declaring that the company would capture 1% of the smartphone market within 18 months. As they say, the rest is history.
The lesson to be learned from this is to never underestimate Apple. How popular will the iPad be? No one knows--not even Apple. Keep in mind, the iPhone's least used application is the phone. The iPhone ushered into the market the first truly portable omni-communications device. I will predict the iPad will accomplish no less.
Sure, it may take two or three generations of the machine. But remember, in Internet time you are only talkining 24-36 months. Remember, the iPod did not exist eight years ago and the iPhone did not exist three years ago. Within that time frame, Apple will have probably doubled the storage capacity, doubled the processing speed, added significantly to the battery life, added a camera (front-facing for video chats), slightly increased the screen size, improved the screen resolution, all without making it any heavier. You will get all this at the same or less cost. Add to this reality, virtually every major computer maker (and many a wireless phone maker) will have a similar competing knockoff. The iPad is going to fail--hardly.
With all that said, the true innovation and success of the iPad will rest with those who made the iPhone successful--the gazillions of iPad application developers. This hearty group will find ways to use the iPad that even Steve Jobs did not imagine. They will be the device of choice in schools because they are small and can carry a student's books much easier than a backpack. They will be data collection devices for students, scientists, and engineers. They will be the real estate agent's most prized possession allowing instant access to neighborhood demographics, comparison house prices, and virtual house walk-throughs. They will be the nurse and doctor's link to patient records and information input. They will be the insurance agent's instrument of choice for both sales and claims input. They will become a "world-computer," because of the relatively small size, low energy demands, long battery life, and storage capacity. Oh, and they will be a great personal entertainment device.
This success is not dependent on Apple. It is dependent on the application developers who will see all the possibilities of the device. You see, that is what most people missed about the iPhone--it is the applications that will sell the device.
Friday, February 12, 2010
iPad Naysayers
I find it interesting the amount of disappointent many people have expressed about the forthcoming iPad digital tablet. The interesting part is the people expressing the disappointment, not the disappointment itself. Let me explain.
There are and always will be technophobes and Luddites who will have nothing good to say about any new technological widget. You know the ones, they tell how much they hate technology because they don't have phones or computers to send you their concern. These aren't the people who surprised me.
I'm talking about the people such as Bill Gates. He should know better. His concern is that the iPad does not have a physical keyboard or stylus input. This is from the guy who helped change computing from an enterprise to a personal activity. Bill, you are dating yourself. You're becoming a modern day Luddite. You and Steve Ballmer--iPod what's it good for; iTunes who is going to buy music at $.99 a song; and iPhone, no keys, no success. You guys just don't get it.
iPad is going to be a success for the simple reason that people don't know what it's good for. It is the rebirth of the hobbiest home computer. People will play with it and start using it for things that were never envisioned. Just look at the App Store. Who envisioned the iPhone as an important geology repository and reference tool? Who envisioned it as a news reporting tool completed with video editing capabilities?
Getting away from Apple for a moment, look at Twitter: Who envisioned it as a political tool for change? Who envisioned it as a live stream news feed?
Take YouTube. Who envisioned it as a stand-alone video entertainment service rather than an amateur video posting service? Who envisioned it as a political messaging tool? Who envisioned it as an important video news source?
Needless to say, the iPad will be hugely successful and it will be successful for reasons other than those Steve Jobs and his imagination shop originally intended. As Om Malik noted, the iPad is a blank slate limited only by our imaginations.
What say you?
There are and always will be technophobes and Luddites who will have nothing good to say about any new technological widget. You know the ones, they tell how much they hate technology because they don't have phones or computers to send you their concern. These aren't the people who surprised me.
I'm talking about the people such as Bill Gates. He should know better. His concern is that the iPad does not have a physical keyboard or stylus input. This is from the guy who helped change computing from an enterprise to a personal activity. Bill, you are dating yourself. You're becoming a modern day Luddite. You and Steve Ballmer--iPod what's it good for; iTunes who is going to buy music at $.99 a song; and iPhone, no keys, no success. You guys just don't get it.
iPad is going to be a success for the simple reason that people don't know what it's good for. It is the rebirth of the hobbiest home computer. People will play with it and start using it for things that were never envisioned. Just look at the App Store. Who envisioned the iPhone as an important geology repository and reference tool? Who envisioned it as a news reporting tool completed with video editing capabilities?
Getting away from Apple for a moment, look at Twitter: Who envisioned it as a political tool for change? Who envisioned it as a live stream news feed?
Take YouTube. Who envisioned it as a stand-alone video entertainment service rather than an amateur video posting service? Who envisioned it as a political messaging tool? Who envisioned it as an important video news source?
Needless to say, the iPad will be hugely successful and it will be successful for reasons other than those Steve Jobs and his imagination shop originally intended. As Om Malik noted, the iPad is a blank slate limited only by our imaginations.
What say you?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Verizon and Anything Apple
Verizon may claim to cover more of the United States with their "Red Map" when compared to AT&T's "Blue Map," but looks can be deceiving--especially for Apple users. First, Verizon has a 3G coverage area that arguably covers more cows, sheep, and free range pheasant than AT&T. However, I don't know about you, but my phone calls tend to go to people. Indeed, how many cows carry a cell phone? Verizon might as well be saying we cover more underwater fish than AT&T. Yes, and your point is?
Second, the nice thing about AT&T and the iPhone is "it just works," and that includes on AT&T's 3G network and on their numerous WiFi hotspots across the country. AT&T's 3G network is simply faster than Verizon's (and getting faster as they continue to roll out their 7MBs speed HSPA protocol). Indeed, in many cases, Verizon barely manages to outpace AT&T's EDGE. If you consider that, the Blue Map starts looking very similar to the Red Map.
Third, AT&T's network is designed to allow multiple simultaneous sessions, Verizon's is not. The result is that great Droid phone on Verizon may be able to multitask its heart out, but not if you are trying to make a phone call and surf the Internet. Verizon's network can't do it. While the iPhone can't multitask, it can manage a simultaneous phone call and allow the user to use the Internet (or any other application for that matter).
Fourth, the ancillary benefits of network choice is access to WiFi. Face it, while accessing content over 3G is nice, when you are within range of a WiFi hotspot, it is nice to be able to use it. AT&T provides free access to iPhone users for all their WiFi hotspots nationwide. This allows the user to have WiFi speeds at Starbucks, McDonald's, various bookstores and numerous other locations--free and it just works. Verizon offers free WiFi access to their users of their FiOS high-speed Internet service. Again, you can use any of their many hotspots, including many of the same Starbucks. So, as an iPhone user and a Verizon FiOS user, you would think I have the best of both worlds. But the truth lies in the fine print. Verizon doesn't support the iPhone, ...or the iPad, ... or virtually anything Apple. Could this be the reason Apple doesn't do business with Verizon? It sure can't help the conversation.
While Verizon does provide access to its hotspots, the fine print notes that, "Verizon Wi-Fi currently supports: Windows XP (32-bit only), Vista, and Windows 7." That's right, Verizon does not support ANY Apple operating system (or any UNIX or UNIX derivative such as Linux). I can't even access their WiFi with my Windows XP-64 installed on my MacBook Pro. So, even though you pay for Verizon hotspot services, Verizon has locked out Apple users.
Nice touch don't you think? So, this is the rest of the story about why AT&T got the iPad. Verizon can't handle it.
What say you?
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Apple Tablet
The news is all abuzz about the unveiling of the Apple Tablet (iTablet, iSlate, iPad, or iSomethingoranother) on Wednesday. Rather than rehash all the rumors, this post will dwell on features I hope we don't see.
1. The price had better be lower than $1000. It will be marginal at $700, appealing at $500, and sensational under that price. If I'm going to pay $1000, I'll stick with a laptop. I can live with a keyboard and the extra features a laptop offers as a small tradeoff for sexiness.
2. The prices above need to be unsubsidized. While access to a 3G network is desirable, I'm at the point where I'm not going to spend any more on Internet access, even for tethering. The reason is simple: 1) I have Verizon FiOS at home and pay north of $40 a month for it; 2) I have a data plan on my iPhone and pay $30 a month for it; 3) and my wife has a data plan on her iPhone and pays $30 a month for it. That is a total of $100 a month for Internet access. If I'm on one, I'm not on the other. Therefore, I'm not getting my money's worth out of any of them now. I'm not going to pay any more. I am going to give up a service before I buy any additional access.
If the price is right, I would buy a tablet for use with Wi-Fi only. Most of the places I use my iPhone now has Wi-Fi (home, friend's homes, Starbuck's, McDonald's, Barnes & Noble, Original Pancake House, and various colleges and universities). It's sort of similar to the AT&T and Verizon dueling advertisements--for all the debate on who has the most coverage, the majority of my 3G use takes place within 40 miles of home and most of
My Internet access is through Wi-Fi. From my viewpoint, Clear offers 4G in our area and could replace all my Internet needs if Apple offered an iPhone/Tablet package on Clear--total cost $55 per month.
The point of this is, I'm an Apple fanboy, but only to a point. A $250 netbook with Wi-Fi access will meet my needs just fine. To get me to the Apple Tablet, it will have to be a compelling financial benefit. Otherwise the iPhone and a netbook is the way to go.
Your thoughts?
1. The price had better be lower than $1000. It will be marginal at $700, appealing at $500, and sensational under that price. If I'm going to pay $1000, I'll stick with a laptop. I can live with a keyboard and the extra features a laptop offers as a small tradeoff for sexiness.
2. The prices above need to be unsubsidized. While access to a 3G network is desirable, I'm at the point where I'm not going to spend any more on Internet access, even for tethering. The reason is simple: 1) I have Verizon FiOS at home and pay north of $40 a month for it; 2) I have a data plan on my iPhone and pay $30 a month for it; 3) and my wife has a data plan on her iPhone and pays $30 a month for it. That is a total of $100 a month for Internet access. If I'm on one, I'm not on the other. Therefore, I'm not getting my money's worth out of any of them now. I'm not going to pay any more. I am going to give up a service before I buy any additional access.
If the price is right, I would buy a tablet for use with Wi-Fi only. Most of the places I use my iPhone now has Wi-Fi (home, friend's homes, Starbuck's, McDonald's, Barnes & Noble, Original Pancake House, and various colleges and universities). It's sort of similar to the AT&T and Verizon dueling advertisements--for all the debate on who has the most coverage, the majority of my 3G use takes place within 40 miles of home and most of
My Internet access is through Wi-Fi. From my viewpoint, Clear offers 4G in our area and could replace all my Internet needs if Apple offered an iPhone/Tablet package on Clear--total cost $55 per month.
The point of this is, I'm an Apple fanboy, but only to a point. A $250 netbook with Wi-Fi access will meet my needs just fine. To get me to the Apple Tablet, it will have to be a compelling financial benefit. Otherwise the iPhone and a netbook is the way to go.
Your thoughts?
Monday, June 8, 2009
iPhone - Pre-WWDC Edition
Like every other uniformed iPhone enthusiast, I figured I would weight-in on my thoughts for the 2009 WWDC and the future of the iPhone. Since I have absolutely no inside information, the following is pure conjecture on my part. With that said, being an avid iPhone user and reader of blogs, news articles, and the iPhone rumor-mill, the following is my best guess for what we can and cannot expect from the WWDC and the iPhone today.
In addition, I believe that you will also see a number of significant announcements from Apple partners as part of the show. They could be:
Well, that's my take. We'll have to wait and see for a couple of more hours to determine if I was even close to the mark.
- 32GB iPhone (white or black)
- 16 GB iPhone (black only and will be the entry-level to this model)
- Operating on iPhone Mac OS-X 3.0
- Faster CPU
- More RAM
- Internal compass support
- Improved camera (3.2MP range) with auto-focus
- Video recording capability with digital zoom feature, including a supporting application that will allow basic video editing and upload to YouTube (possibly Facebook and others)
- While I don't believe there will be an additional front-facing camera for video chat, I would be pleasantly surprised it it did.
- Same price points as current models
- Better power management (due to new chip and improved OS)
- Approximately 1/2 inch shorter while maintaining the same width and thickness
- Earphone jack moved to the bottom
- Slightly reduced weight
- Improved sound from internal speakers (no idea where the speakers will be located--on the top perhaps?)
- Improved built-in applications including expanded financial tracking (still won't match ETrade Mobile Pro), expanded weather app, improved calendar with built-in todo list support, and an expanded Maps application with turn-by-turn directions (courtesy of Google)
In addition, I believe that you will also see a number of significant announcements from Apple partners as part of the show. They could be:
- AT&T will introduce a data-limited plan at the $10-15 per month range to attract those that want an iPhone, but don't use the Internet resources heavily (like my wife).
- AT&T will bundle SMS messaging into the $30 per month plan instead of charging extra.
- AT&T MAY offer a $40 everything plan to compete with Sprint's unlimited offering. This would include a tethering capability allowing the iPhone to act as a modem for a laptop, netbook, or PC.
- Various vendors will announce a number of new, expanded, or multi-level games that will appear in the AppStore at the same time as the iPhone.
- Activation will be online and can be done by the customer. Basically, I don't think Apple or AT&T really care where the phone is used anymore, just as long as they get a cut of the money.
Well, that's my take. We'll have to wait and see for a couple of more hours to determine if I was even close to the mark.
Monday, May 11, 2009
TweetStack Not Ready for Primetime
I love Twitter. As such, anything that helps me organize tweets, write tweets, and view tweets is of interest to me. Having an iPhone means having a variety of Twitter applications to choose from. I have used Twitterlator, Twitterific, and finally settled on Tweetie. Up to the point of using Tweetie, I had used the free version of Twitterific. I migrated to Tweetie because it has a few more features, has a more pleasant user interface, and performs fast and flawlessly.
A few weeks ago I bought TweetStack because it advertised a great set of features--basically putting the Mac application TweetStack on your iPhone. The good news is TweetStack allows you to see which tweets are unread (a drawback that I pointed out to Tweetie awhile ago); allows you to group Twitter IDs to create information-specific "stacks;" and allows you to store keyword searches.
The bad news is that TweetStack is buggy and unstable. Their most recent release has fixed many problems and some stability issues, but it remains buggy. If I had to give an analogy, it would be Tweetie is a Mac and TweetStack is a PC--so much promise, yet such a failure in execution.
Keep your eye on TweetStack. But for now, it isn't ready for primetime.
A few weeks ago I bought TweetStack because it advertised a great set of features--basically putting the Mac application TweetStack on your iPhone. The good news is TweetStack allows you to see which tweets are unread (a drawback that I pointed out to Tweetie awhile ago); allows you to group Twitter IDs to create information-specific "stacks;" and allows you to store keyword searches.
The bad news is that TweetStack is buggy and unstable. Their most recent release has fixed many problems and some stability issues, but it remains buggy. If I had to give an analogy, it would be Tweetie is a Mac and TweetStack is a PC--so much promise, yet such a failure in execution.
Keep your eye on TweetStack. But for now, it isn't ready for primetime.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
